Zipments, An Innovative Local Delivery Service Launching In Los Angeles

Aug. 13, 2011 - PRLog -- Fresh off a pilot launch in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and similar pilots in NYC and Chicago, Zipments is heading to Los Angeles to bring an online marketplace of local couriers to individuals and businesses in need of fast, simple and affordable delivery services.

"Zipments connects any business or individual that needs to move something across town with a community of local couriers who are eager to do those jobs," explains co-founder and CEO, Garrick Pohl.

Traditional courier companies operate a fleet of vehicles and personnel, which results in an expensive and inefficient method for local delivery services.  Also, many courier companies aren’t typically accessible to the average person who needs something picked up or delivered across town.  Zipments leverages a vast community of part-time and full-time couriers, matching posted jobs to couriers nearest to the pickup locations.  By tapping into a community of couriers, Zipments provides delivery where you want, when you want, at the price you want.

Zipments represents a buyer-powered marketplace, where, according to Pohl, “Standard shipping rates don’t apply. Not only do customers set their own price for delivery, they also set their desired pickup and delivery windows.”    

In the first two months of Zipments rollout in west Michigan, the community of registered Zipments couriers has grown to nearly 1,000.  Pohl notes, “Delivery jobs receive bids from couriers within minutes of being posted and most deliveries are performed within an hour or two, with many items delivered in under an hour.”  This response time makes Zipments well-suited for food deliveries from restaurants and grocery stores.

To be a Zipments courier, the requirements are simple. You need a mode of transportation (car, van, subway, bike, etc.), a text enabled phone, and a verified PayPal account. Once registered, couriers can get notified of jobs in their area by visiting the site or by receiving text message alerts to their mobile phone.   When a job is completed, couriers immediately confirm delivery via text message to the Zipments system, alerting the customer of the completed assignment and triggering payment to be sent to the courier’s Paypal account.

In Michigan, couriers consist of stay at home moms, freelancers, students and retirees who want to make extra money or to simply get out and visit people in their community. In Los Angeles, Zipments is a unique income opportunity for freelancers and students, specifically.

Zipments can be used by a large variety of businesses and individuals. Restaurants, law firms, hotels and design firms are a few of the industries that zip things around town.  Lunch deliveries have been especially popular.

To post a job, go to Zipments.com, select ‘Get Started’ and fill out the delivery form - which consists of a brief description of the job, where and when you need an item picked up and delivered, and how much you’re willing to pay. Once posted, the couriers in your area are alerted and will bid on your job. Zipments customers can then hand-select their courier from the list of bids submitted.

In August, Zipments released its mobile app which allows couriers to see in real-time the jobs near them and provides them routing information from their current location to the job pickup and delivery locations.

“Zipments is a game changer for the logistics industry,” said Pohl.  “We’re excited to bring this innovative service to Los Angeles!”

Website: http://www.zipments.com
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zipmentsla
Like on Facebook: http://facebook.com/zipments